Poor Kitty gave no responsive glance to this remark, but turned away her head, and taking me by the hand led me to the companion stair, whence we went up on deck.
Mr Falconer, who was officer of the watch, stepped up as she appeared. She told him with tears in her eyes what had occurred.
“It is what might be expected,” he observed; “but let me entreat you not to be anxious about the little boy. You shall see him as often as you wish, and I suspect that he will be as well off with the honest fellow who had charge of him as he would with those people in the cabin.”
I did not understand at the time that there was anything peculiar in his remarks, or that Miss Kitty seemed to place far more confidence in him than she did in captain and Mrs Podgers. I only understood that I was to go back to Dick, and of that I should have been heartily glad, had not my satisfaction been mitigated by the idea that I should be thus separated from Miss Kitty, whose amiability and gentleness had greatly attracted me.
“Well, Charley, we will look after you,” said Dick, when I went forward. “There’s a vacant berth next to mine, and I’ll put your bedding in it. But I am afraid, boy, your manners won’t be improved by your new shipmates.”
Dick was right, for while I was rapidly increasing my vocabulary of English words, I learned to use some of the expressions constantly issuing from the sailors’ mouths, without knowing their meaning, or having any idea of their vileness.
At length, one day, when seated in the forecastle with Dick, I uttered several in succession, highly pleased with my own proficiency. Dick looked at me hard.
“Charley, do you know those are very bad words you are saying?” he exclaimed; “I didn’t think you knew such.”
“Why, Dick, I heard you say them yourself the other day,” and I reminded him of several occasions on which he had uttered some of the words I had made use of.